Classifying apparatus for postal matter



June 1933- A. J. KNIGHT ET AL K 2,119,919

CLASSIFYING APPARATUS FOR POSTAL MATTER Filed April 14, 1936 PatentedJune 7, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CLASSIFYING APPARATUS FORPOSTAL MATTER Application April 14, 1936, Serial No. 74,372 In GreatBritain April 18, 1935 5 Claims.

This invention concerns improvements relating to classifying apparatusfor segregating letters or letter-like articles (hereinafter termedletters) from parcels, packets or like objects (hereinafter termedparcels) and has for its object to provide a simple but effectiveapparatus.

According to the invention, such apparatus comprises a plurality ofrollers disposed side by side in parallel or substantially parallelrelationship with gaps between them large enough to pass the letters butnot the parcels and adapted for being rotated in the same directiontowards one side or in outward directions from an intermediate linetowards the two sides. Postal matter placed in this apparatus is readilyseparated without damage into its components, the letters fallingthrough the gaps, whilst the parcels remain upon the rollers. Helicalformations may be provided upon or applied to the rollers in order toimpart to the'parcels a longitudinal feed movement which can be utilizedfor their automatic discharge at one end of the apparatus.

According to a further feature of the invention, the rollers are given aslight slope towards the discharge end of the apparatus for the purposeof imparting the longitudinal feed movement to the parcels. The helicalformations may then be dispensed with or a combination of the slope andhelical formations may be utilized in order to obtain the desiredefiect.

Embodiments of the invention by way of example will now be more fullydescribed with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a cross-section of one embodiment,

Fig. 2 a longitudinal section thereof illustrating additional features,and

Fig. 3 a longitudinal section of another embodiment.

In all forms of apparatus according to the invention, the spaced rollersare Preferably so disposed that, regarded from one end, they form atrough. As illustrated in Fig. 1, the trough is formed by rollers lwhich are arranged to rotate,

at the same speed, outwardly towards the two sides. Additional rollers 2are provided at the said sides to form overhanging lips to the troughand thus to prevent the postal matter, which tends to be thrown towardsthe sides, from being projected out of the trough. In some cases, all ofthe rollers I may be arranged to rotate in the same direction. It isthen necessary to provide the additional rollers 2 only upon the sidetowards which the postal matter tends to be thrown by the rollers. 7

The rollers l and Z are advantageously formed of r fa ed w t a mate a orexample ru ber, which gives them a certain grip on the postal matter sothat the latter is thoroughly agitated. In this agitation, the lettersrelatively quickly enter one or other of the gaps 3 between the rollersI and fall through the same, the said gaps being made of such width asto pass a predetermined thickness of letter. Since each gap 3 is boundedby at least one upwardly turning roller-part and since the rollersrotate at the same speed, there is no danger of letters or parcels beingmangled between the said rollers. The

mixed matter may be brought to the apparatus by a conveyor-band 4 orchute and the separated letters may fall upon a conveyor-band 5 or chutewhereby they are conducted to further apparatus. The parcels, on theother hand, remain upon the rollers. This form of apparatus hasconsequently to be charged with the mixed matter, and relieved of theparcels, in batches. Both ends of the trough are closed by end-plates 6and the whole is surrounded by a housing 1.

Preferably, however, the apparatus is adapted for continuous chargingand continuous discharge of parcels. Two arrangements for this purposeare illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3. In these arrangements, only one end(as illustrated the left-hand end at which the driving means NJ for therollers is provided) of the trough is closed by a plate 6, whilst theother end opens into a chute8.

As illustrated in Fig. 2, the rollers l and 2 are formed or providedwith helical formations .9 designed to impart to the postal matter alongitudinal feed towards the open end of the trough. The latter is madeor such length, however, that all of the letters will have 'beenseparated, i. e. will have dropped through the gaps 3 before the openend is reached. The parcels, on the other hand, pass out of theapparatus byv way of the chute 8 at the said open end and are conductedaway wherever required. The helical formations 9 upon the rollers l and2 may be constituted by rubber strip or ribbed facing or-by bristles,fibrous material or the like.

As illustrated in Fig. 3, the rollers l and 2. are plain and thelongitudinal feed movement is provided for by giving the said rollers aSlight separate the letters as quickly as possible from.

the parcels and to effect this separation with certainty. For thispurpose, it is necessary to provide a variety of paths for theletters,'for these.

will be mixed up with and partly supported .by

parcels of all shapes and sizes from thick let-.

In normal mix-.-

ter-like packages upwards. tures of postal matter, a minority only ofthe letters will find their way to the three gaps in the bottom of thetrough. The majority will be form-a steeply inclined wall-section. V aApparatus with rollers of the number, arrange- ;mehtan'd relative sizeillustrated gives, an efiecmore or less quickly projectedagainst thesidewalls of the trough. However, these letters will not all arrive inone direction and in one posi-l tion and it is important that, as far aspossible, 5 they shall not be impeded due to their arrival in directionsand positions inappropriate tothe' positions of the gaps. It is foundthat much less 7 impedance is offered whenthe 'wall rollers are a soarranged as to present gaps at substantial 10 angles to each other, amaximum efiiciency'being'achieved when adjacent gaps are substantiallyat right angles to each other. The arrangement illustrated in thedrawing hastwo such combinations ofgaps at each side wall: At the loweredge of each wall, one roller is set down- ,wai'dly from the line of thebottom of the trough to-.,.form a recess,r.between the said bottom andwall, .from which the gaps open in directions at right angles to eachother. In the upper part of each wall, there is a roller set outwardlyfrom the'line origeneral contour of the wall tov form a recess fromwhich thegaps open in directions at right angles to each other. At leastthe next roller"above the outwardly set roller is set inwardly to formthe lip. As illustrated, lip-rollers above the 'outwardlyset roller forma substanrtial ly vertical wall-section, while rollers between then-saidroller and thel botto-m of the trough ti've result in the case of'normalmixed postal mattenf It will be understood, however, that a V smaller orlarger number of 'rollersanda 'dif- "45, 1.:jClassifying apparatus forsegregating letterslfrom'parcels, comprising a plurality ofsubstantially parallel rollers disposed with gaps between them in anopen trough-formation, including rollers forming the bottom of'thetroughfor'mation, a roller set downwardly from the 'f'line of the saidbottom at aside edgelthereof, rollers forming the fside walls of thetrough for- Vn'iation', aroner set outwardly from the ,line of sideWall, and at :least one roller set inwardly above the last-named rollerto form a hp at the top of the side-:wall, the downward andbutwardsetting of the rollers respectively so set forming recesses from whichthegaps between the said rollers and the respectively adjacent rollersopen (ill I in directions substantially at right'an'gles'to eachfotne'r; V l v V 2. Classifying apparatus for segregating-letters fromparcels compri'singan open trough-formation having a bottom consistingof a series of I 16.5 parallel rollers withaxes in a common plane and "alowerparallel roller at each end of the series 7 with its axis in'a'plane below the axes of the said series of rollers; sides each formed'by rollers parallel "with 'and above said lower roller with V V 70 axesin anoutwairdly inclinedplane, and an ou't- 'wajrdlypffset parallelroller "on an axis slightly V abo'vethe axlsoftheFuppermost side roller,all

adjace'ntrollers having gap'sfbet'ween them large enough toallow'letters'topassbut not-parcels and being adapted for being rotatedso that of the parts of the trough-bottom rollers bounding -each gap atleast one part is turning inwardly" of the troughfor'niation and thatthe top parts of the trough-side rollers turn outwardly from thetrough-formation.

3. Classifying apparatus for segregating letters from parcels,comprising an open trough formation having a bottom consisting of aseries of parallel rollers with axes in a common plane and a lowerparallel roller at each end'of the series with its axis in a plane belowthe axes of 'the said series of rollers, sides each formed'by' rollersparallel with and above said lower roller with axes in an outwardlyinclined ,Plane, an

outwardly offset parallel roller on. an axis slightly above the axisofthe uppermost side roller and an additional rolleron-an axis above anddis! posed inwardly of the axis of the offset roller to form a lip onone side at least of the troughfori'nati'on, all adjacent rollers havinggapsbee tween them large enough toallow letters to pass but not-parcelsand being adapted for being rotated so that of thepartsof thetrough-bottom rollers bounding each gapat least one part is turninginwardly of the trough formation. and

that the top parts of the trough-side rollers'turn V outwardly fromthetrough-formation.

4. Classifying apparatus for segregating-law ters from parcels,comprising an open trough formation having a bottom consisting of aseries of'parallel rollerswith axes in a common plane and a'lowerparallel roller at each end of the 5 I series of rollers, sides eachformed byrollers parallel with an'dabove said lower roller with axes inan outwardly inclined plane, an outwardly offset parallel roller on anaxis slightly above the axis of the uppermostside'roller and ana'clditional roller on an axis above and disposed inwardly oi the axisof the offset 'rollerto form a. lip on one side at least'of thetrough-formation,

all 'adjacentrollers having gaps between them large enough toallow'let'ters to pass but not parcels, means for closing the troughatone end,

means for driving the rollers so that the top parts 7 of the siderollers turn outwardly from the trough-formation and atleast one partofthe bottom rollers bounding each-gap turns inwardly of thetrough-formation, and means for imparting a longitudinal feed to theparcels awa'y from the closed end of thetrough-formation. r

5. Classifying apparatus for segregating..let ters from parcels,comprising a pluralit'yof sub-V stantially parallel rollersdisposedtwith gaps between them in an open trough-formation, the rollersconstituting'a side wall of the said troughformation being atileast'five'in number and in-- cluding'at least one roller whichis displacedfrom the general contour of the wall toforin' a recess inthewall fromwhich gaps open in di-rections substantially at right anglesto eachother, the rollers above the said displaced roller forminga-substantially vertical wall-section whilst the" rollers between thesaid roller and the bottom bf con the trough-formation form awallsectio'n inf clined relatively to the first-named wall-section andthebo'tton l I ARTHUR 'JOHN KNIGHT.

H-UTBERT WILLIAM A DMAN.

